everyday joys.

here it is the middle of june and the temperature has already exceeded one hundred degrees multiple times. yes. summer is upon us. and with summer comes so many favorite things! swimming, late mornings, tanning, reading books and oh, we can’t forget the beach!

this summer is a tad different from the past few summers of my life. pfft, who am i kidding? it’s very different. for the past three summers, i have been a part of pine cove christian camps. they have been some of the most difficult, but most favorite summers in my life. Jesus is so good in that He uses a place like pine cove to grow and mold His children to become more like Him. this summer, i am not back at the place i love so much because the Lord i love even more has greater plans for me, whether i see them now, or later down the road.

here’s my life as of now: 

summer job, eh..in the works. 

summer goal, check, but have yet to meet it.

summer hobby, check. i’m almost done!

as a lot of you know, i had a job at the House of Blues in downtown Houston this summer, thanks to my wonderful sister, Rachel. unfortunately, the job did not pan out in the way i hoped.

in the begining, i was not expecting to get the job. i figured rachel could get me an interview, but i didn’t think they would hire me because i don’t have any experience in the waiting industry. but when i went in for my interview, i sat down with one of the managers and she said, “well, if Rachel thinks your cool, I think you’re cool. You’re hired.” i was blown away. i had a job! i had a cool job! the thought of making between $40-$200 a night thrilled me! i was gonna be rollin in the dough, man! yeah, i was super nervous. the house of blues was everything i wasn’t. i took a tour through the building and i could feel the demon’s presence in the rooms. it was scary. but i quickly brushed that feeling aside and made excuses of, “i’ll be making tons of money!” and, “i don’t have another choice!” and, “its a great opportunity to be a light in a dark place.”

yeah, all of those are true. and all of those are great reasons to be there. but i forgot the best reason of all and forgot to consult the gracious, compassionate Father who allows his children to make mistakes. i would have never applied at House of Blues if it wasn’t for my sister. and in between the excitement of my sister and the hype of, “Meg’s working at the HOUSE OF BLUES!” i still felt inner turmoil. i was freaking out inside.

finally after three weeks of waiting to get a shift, i work what the staff calls, “ghetto night”. yeah. it was about 30 something local Houston rappers. for 7 hours straight. you know those people that have the bass so low in their cars that you feel like you’re in their car? yeah, that what i heard for the entirety of the shift.

during the shift, so many things happened that i will not post here, but i’ll let you know that i had to compromise my standards and morals more than once. it was dirty and gross. and i wanted to blind myself after that night. i kept thinking, “Lord, do i have to be here? is this really what you want for me?” and that’s when i realized that i had not prayed about this job before accepting it. ouch. that got me thinking.

after my shift was over and i finally left the building at 1:30am, i started to walk to my car. okay, so get this, im a girl, in the middle of downtown Houston, at 1:30 in the morning. im a little freaked to say the least. so i am focused on getting to my car and getting out of downtown. well, as im walking, there is this little mexican dude and two chicks walking behind me. im not paying them much attention, but i do note that the guy is talking kinda loud. finally i realize that the kid is talking to me. what did he want? to sell me tickets to a local rap show. HAH. he’s funny! i rejected him probably a little harsher than what was needed, but i was so over rap music.

when i finally arrive at my parking garage, to my dismay i find that the door is locked and all the driveways into the building are gated. okay. assess the situation.

meg in downtown houston by herself.

meg’s car is locked in a parking garage.

it’s 1:30 in the morning and meg’s parents live 30-45 minutes away.

it was about that time that my heart rate begins to rise. thoughts of crazy homeless people and rapists start flooding my mind. you laugh now, but at the time i was not laughing. haha. so i begin to call my sister, who live only 5 mins away. as she picks up, a security guard in the parking garage building comes to my rescue. i quickly explain what happened to my sister and head home. a happy ending to what could have been a very scary evening.

basically, after that adventure and talking to my parents, i realized that House of Blues was not where the Lord wanted me. so i quit. i know it was quick, and judge me if you want, but it was one of the scariest nights of my life. thankfully, my manager understood and let me off the hook.

conclusion: meg thought she had a cool job until she didn’t have a cool job and is now without income. yay!

more summer adventures to come!